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Protective action should be granted for Honduran journalist victim of shooting

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Protective measures requested by the Inter-American Human Rights System for a Honduran journalist victim of a recent attempt on his life were supported today (November 18, 2013) by the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Ramón Custodio, Honduras national human rights commissioner, asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to implement protective measures for Nery Adalberto Recarte, journalist and owner of Canal 34 television and La Popularísima radio station located in Siguatepeque, Comayagua province.

He was attacked on November 11 by two unidentified assailants who shot him several times as he was getting into his car outside the building where the broadcast stations are located. Both he and his driver were uninjured. They filed a formal complaint about the incident with the Criminal Investigation National Office.

Claudio Paolillo, chairman of the IAPA's Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, said the organization supports the commissioner's request, partly “because we recognize the lack of safety that Honduran journalists are exposed to, especially in the interior of the country.”

Paolillo, editor of the Montevideo, Uruguay, weekly Búsqueda, added, “in addition, we should remember that the government of President Porfirio Lobo has not created any protective measures, nor the special prosecutor's office it promised in order to investigate and reduce the violence against journalists and impunity of such crimes.”

The IAPA has been following the investigation into the murder of journalist Aníbal Barrow committed on June 24, for which Héctor Noé Baquedano Galindo was arrested during the weekend. This is the sixth person to be indicted for allegedly having carried out the murder.

Paolillo declared that Barrow's murder and the attack suffered by Recarte “should require the government and the new authorities taking office following presidential elections, to leave the promises aside and take immediate action to guarantee freedom of the press and the public's right to information.”

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A recent HKJA survey indicates a slight rise in the Hong Kong Press Freedom Index after two consecutive years of decline. Journalists on the ground believe that the situation has worsened in 2016, compared to the year before. HKJA chairperson Sham Yee-lan explained that the slight increase in the Press Freedom Index was likely to be related to the emergence of online media, which has led to some diversity in the industry.

This report presents the findings of a three-month study focused on mapping, observing and analysing online harassment of journalists in Hungary. The study aimed to identify the types of harassment journalists are subject to, which journalists are typically harassed, who the harassers are, and how journalists cope with harassment.

Combining both violent and nonviolent methods, the Communist Party's policies are designed to curb the rapid growth of religious communities and eliminate certain beliefs and practices, while also harnessing aspects of religion that could serve the regime's political and economic interests.

Many journalists increasingly practice self-censorship, fearing retribution from security forces, military intelligence, and militant groups. Media outlets in 2016 remained under pressure to avoid reporting on or criticising human rights violations in counterterrorism operations. The Taliban and other armed groups threatened media outlets and targeted journalists and activists for their work.

Chinese authorities' enforced disappearance of critics from Hong Kong and other countries in 2016 garnered headlines globally. Beijing's decision to interfere in a politically charged court case in Hong Kong in November undermined judicial independence and the territory's autonomy. In the ethnic minority regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, Beijing continued its highly repressive rule, curtailing political activity and many peaceful expressions of ethnic and religious identity.

Bangladesh witnessed a spate of violent attacks against secular bloggers, academics, gay rights activists, foreigners, and members of religious minorities in 2016. Several laws were proposed during the year to increase restrictions on freedom of expression.

Freedom Forum observed a relatively peaceful atmosphere for the media this year (2016) with a significant decline in the number of press freedom violations. FF recorded only 25 incidents of press freedom violations during 2016 versus 83 in 2015.

Pakistan is among the countries that do not properly investigate and prosecute crimes against media professionals. Because of the near absolute level of impunity, most of the people who attack, injure or even murder media journalists in Pakistan remain free.

2016 is a highly significant year for Cambodian democracy. Looking back, 2016 marks 25 years since the conclusion of the Paris Peace Agreements (the “Paris Agreements”), which brought an end to 20 years of conflict in the Kingdom of Cambodia (“Cambodia”) and laid the framework for a political settlement based on human rights and liberal democracy; looking forward, 2016 marks the unofficial start of the lead‐up to the local and national elections in 2017 and 2018, respectively, as political actors across the spectrum begin to position themselves.

In the 27 cases of journalists murdered for their work in India since CPJ began keeping records in 1992, there have been no convictions. More than half of those killed reported regularly on corruption. The cases of Jagendra Singh, Umesh Rajput, and Akshay Singh, who died between 2011 and 2015, show how small-town journalists face greater risk in their reporting than those from larger outlets, and how India's culture of impunity is leaving the country's press vulnerable to threats and attacks

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Violence against journalists in Europe increased in the second quarter of 2016, reports submitted to Index on Censorship’s Mapping Media Freedom platform show, as a government crackdown in Turkey intensified and protests turned violent in countries from France to Finland.

With the environment now recognized as a major challenge for humankind, Reporters Without Borders believes that particular attention should be paid to the journalists who take greats risk to investigate sensitive, environment-related subjects. The report highlights a steady deterioration in the situation for environmental reporters, who are increasingly exposed to many kinds of pressure, threats and violence.

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